Tragic Day
by Nature9000
Summary: Sam's father dies when she's very young and a friend is there to offer her comfort. Years later, this friend loses their father on the same day, and contemplates death. Can Sam comfort her friend, knowing they share the same experience?


Tragic Day

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly

A/N: This was inspired by a reader and fellow author. Yes, this involves the 9/11 attack.

-STORY BEGINS HERE-

In the grand state of New York on September 11th 2001, seven year old Sam Puckett sat in her school library. She was watching the television intently, as were the other students. It was noontime, and the halls were filled with silence. Just hours ago, airlines had struck the two towers in New York. Firefighters and Police officers were going in and trying to rescue anyone who would be trapped in the two buildings.

She was watching more intently than most of the other students there, for she had a great reason. Her father, Dave Puckett, was a Captain in the fire department. She knew that he was one of the many firefighters heading into the World Trade Center. She loved her father; she knew just how brave he was. She always thought he was invincible, so she knew he would be okay. Her eyes were still wide with fear. Despite thinking that her father was the greatest firefighter ever, there was an empty feeling in her stomach. She knew that several people were dying, and she hoped her father could save all of them.

At the library table, a boy was sitting next to her. His name was Freddie Benson. His mom and dad were police officers, but neither of them was at home. He was with his grandmother while his parents were on a mission all the way in Washington. He saw Sam staring at the television with such intensity, but he could understand how she felt. His father was often involved in more calls than his mom, and his father was always so powerful. Even still, as a child, he feared the possibility that his parent wasn't really as invincible as his childish mind thought.

Freddie tapped Sam's shoulder and she looked over at him, wondering what he wanted. "You're worried about your Dad, aren't you?" He had met Mr. Puckett a few times in the one year that he knew Sam; they had met when they were six. Sam nodded her head and Freddie smiled at her. "Don't worry, Mr. Puckett is strong! He's like my Dad. My dad never goes down easily." Sam smiled at Freddie and looked back to the television screen. It was live, they could see everything happening. Sam thought she saw a glimpse of her father past a window.

"There he is!" Sam said in a quick voice. She grabbed Freddie's eyes and stared at the screen with admiration. "That was my daddy." Freddie smiled and nodded his head, he saw Mr. Puckett move back to the window. The man then turned his back to the window and looks to the side. He seemed to be shouting something, possibly orders. It was actually hard to see him, since the building was away from the reporter. The teacher of Sam's class said something to catch the student's attentions.

"Class, it's time to go back," the teacher said. Tears were running down her cheeks, most of the children were too young to understand what was going on. They didn't know just how devastating the attack was. "Gather your things, parents will be informed, school will be let out early." Sam grinned and looked to Freddie.

"Are you going to come by, so we can talk to daddy about his job?" Freddie smiled and nodded his head. "Thanks!" Sam hugged Freddie and quickly left with her class. Freddie looked over at the television screen and his face paled, a blast of fire shot out of the window they thought they saw Mr. Puckett at.

Hours passed by, and Freddie's grandma never seemed to want to let him go. Eventually he persuaded her to let him visit Sam. Fortunately Sam lived a short distance away; he could walk to her home. Freddie made his way to Sam's home and saw several police vehicles nearby. He ran toward the door and inside, a few officers were talking to Sarah Puckett. Sarah was on the couch, she was sobbing hysterically. Freddie could hear sobbing in another room, it was Sam.

Freddie quickly ran to Sam's room and opened the door. Sam was sitting on her bed, curled up and sobbing into a pillow. Nobody was even taking care of her. Freddie slowly walked over to Sam and sat next to her. She didn't even look up at him, but she knew he was there. "They say Daddy isn't coming back," Sam said while sniffing. Freddie frowned and Sam continued to bawl into the pillow. "Daddy died, they saw him die earlier. What does that mean? Why is he not coming back? They said Daddy went into those towers and didn't come out."

"Sammy, don't cry," Freddie said while giving Sam a gentle hug. Sam continued to sob and Freddie felt a tear leave his eye.

"Daddy's invincible! He's strong, he can't die! He can't die! Why isn't Daddy coming home?" Freddie continued to hold Sam close, making sure to give her comfort during this time.

"Mr. Puckett isn't gone," Freddie said in a quiet voice. Sam raised her eyebrow and looked up, looking into his eyes. Her lip quivered and tears stained her face, turning her cheeks red. "He's with you always. That's what my grandma always says. When someone close dies, they are always with you. So your daddy is in your heart, he'll always be watching over you."

"Your grandma said that?" Freddie nodded and smiled at Sam. She wiped her eyes and continued to cry. "I can't stop crying, I want my daddy!" Sam wrapped her arms around her legs and Freddie started to rock with her, letting her cry into his arms. "I want daddy to come back, I want him to come back." Freddie wasn't sure what to say, he hated to see Sam cry. "I miss my daddy." Sam sniffed and wiped her eyes once more.

"Don't cry, Sammy. I like you. I don't like seeing you cry…" Sam sniffed once more and Freddie made sure to stay with her. He wasn't going to leave her alone in the time of need.

"You like me?" Freddie nodded and smiled at Sam; she merely made a small chuckle sound and wiped her face again. "Thanks Freddie…" Sam was far from finished as far as the crying went, but she knew Freddie was there to give her comfort. "What am I going to do without my daddy?"

"You still have your mommy, and she needs you. You should be strong and tough. It's good to cry, but you should still be strong, for your mommy." Sam nodded and gave Freddie a hug.

"I don't know if I can do it, but I'll try." Another sniffing sound was heard in the room, Freddie and Sam looked over to see Mrs. Puckett standing in the doorway.

"Freddie, your grandmother is here," Sarah said while wiping her eyes. "She says she needs to talk to you." Freddie nodded and looked at Sam.

"I'll talk to you later, don't cry too much." Sam smiled and Freddie gave her one last hug before walking out of the room with Sarah. He met up with his grandma in the living room; she smiled at him and gave him a hug.

"Freddie, you need to gather your things," Nana Benson stated. Freddie blinked and Nana gave a small sigh while standing straight up. "It seems that your mother's boss requires her to move to Seattle, Washington. So, you'll have to gather your things and I'll take you on the next flight to Seattle to meet your parents."

"What? Why do I have to move? I don't want to move away from Sam!" Nana slowly nodded and knelt down toward Freddie's level; she placed a hand on Freddie's shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"There isn't any choice, it has to happen. I'm sorry." Freddie frowned and Nana stood up, taking Freddie's hand in hers. "Come, we have to go home."

"I want to say goodbye to Sam…"

"I'm sorry, but there just isn't any time." Freddie looked toward the floor and frowned as he walked with his grandmother. Unbeknownst to them, Sam was watching. Sarah frowned and gasped as Sam ran past her.

"Freddie!" Sam exclaimed. "Wait! Come back, come back! No!" Sam pounded on the door that Freddie and his grandmother just exited. She sobbed once more and felt two arms wrap around her in a hug, it was her mother.

"Its okay, Sam," Sarah said while holding her daughter close. "Maybe we can see your friend before they leave." Sam sniffed and nodded her head. Try as they might, the next day was when Freddie had to leave, and they missed him. It was then that Sam decided she would try to be tough and not cry.

-NEW SCENE-

September 13th 2008, Sam was sitting in Mrs. Briggs's classroom. She and her mother moved to Seattle only a year after the loss of her father. Sarah couldn't take living in the house any longer; the memories had been too much for her. Sam had brought up the idea that they should move to Seattle, because that's where Freddie moved to. When they moved, the first thing Sam did was run through her new school, looking for Freddie. Instead, she found Carly Shay during lunch. It was Carly that led her to where Freddie was. Freddie remembered Sam as a girl he met a little over a year ago. Of course, he had a crush on Carly. Of course, now at the age of fourteen, he didn't have that crush on her anymore. Somehow, he'd gotten over it long ago. His best friend was Jake, and he had made good friends with Jonah over time, despite beating Jonah up after the guy tried to cheat on her. His claim was that Jonah made Sam cry.

Sam looked over at Freddie's desk, he was absent today. Sam didn't understand it, he was never absent, and here he was absent for the second day in a row. He never called her, nor did he call Carly. Sam tapped her fingers on her desk with nervous procession, she wanted to leave and find him. Mrs. Briggs wasn't doing anything important, and Carly was busy working on some assignment, not caring that Freddie was gone. The only thing happening was that Mrs. Briggs had the television on and the news was saying something boring as usual. Sam turned her head toward the television, needing a major distraction. Normally every year, around the week of September 11th, Freddie was there, passing notes with her. They would joke around and he'd try to make her smile. He always helped her.

_"So where is he?"_ Sam thought while letting out a small sigh. _"Why hasn't he called me…well, Carly…"_ Sam had taken his advice and she toughened up. She often fought back any tears that she would have, but she did let out a few tears when she could. Over the years of his crush on Carly, she actually did cry every now and then, only because she had always had a crush on him. That's also why she toughened up and picked on him, just because it concealed how devastated she was. Of course, whenever September 11th rolled around, she was sad for her father's death but happiest as well because Freddie paid attention to her.

Sam looked over to see Carly as Mrs. Briggs to go to the restroom, she then left the room and Sam let out a small sigh. Carly never really knew that her father had died during the 9-11 attacks, Freddie was the only one. Sam looked at the news and thought she saw someone familiar, her eyes widened when she noticed it was a picture of Mr. Benson. Sam quickly stood up and walked over to the television, hoping to hear it better.

"Miss Puckett, please sit down," Mrs. Briggs said in a sharp tone. Sam ignored Mrs. Briggs and lifted her hand up, hitting the volume on the television. "Miss Puckett!" Sam continued to ignore Mrs. Briggs and soon felt her heart drop.

_Good evening. In local news today, several families are still mourning the 9-11 attacks, but for John Benson's family, that is not the only thing they will be mourning. On September 11__th__, Sherriff John Benson was gunned down in the line of duty…_

"No," Sam whispered as she took a step back. "No, it can't be…" Mrs. Briggs was still glaring at her, and the rest of the class was ignoring her. "This is why Freddie hasn't even contacted us?"

"Samantha Puckett, take your seat or-" With that, Jonah hurried into the classroom. Mrs. Briggs groaned at the second interruption and sat down in her seat.

"Sam, do you know where Freddie is?" Jonah asked while walking over to her. Sam looked over and slowly shook her head, wondering why Jonah had a frantic look on his face. "His mom's panicking right now. I was in the bathroom, washing my hands when she called my phone. She says that Freddie has been missing since noon of yesterday."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked while turning toward Jonah. Her eyes were wide and her voice was fearful. "I never knew he was missing."

"Well neither did Mrs. Benson. She thought he went to school the other day, and then he called her after school saying that he was going to spend the night at a friend's house. He said he needed to think about things. Well, that was Jake, and Jake said he never was at his house." Sam felt her heart sink, and at that moment, she was sure several people were looking at her. She didn't really care who was looking, though.

"Oh, will you talk after school?" Mrs. Briggs asked in a snappy tone of voice. "If you don't-" Jake rushed into the room, apparently looking for Jonah. "Of course…"

"Jonah, I talked to Freddie," Jake said in a quick tone of voice. He looked to Sam and frowned before placing his hand on Jonah's shoulder and leading him to the corner of the room. Sam walked over and stared at him, wanting to know exactly where he was.

"Tell me where he is," Sam said while narrowing her eyes. Jake stared at her and figured that he wouldn't get anywhere if he disagreed with her, so he gave in.

"Well, Freddie never answered his mom when she called, but he did answer my phone call. He's at the park, on top of that high bridge. I don't know what he's doing, but he's really depressed."

"Bridge, what bridge?" Sam raised her eyebrow and thought for a moment. The only thing she could come up with was a bridge that was about fifty feet above the lake in the park. It was a hard fall, especially since right underneath the bridge was a group of spiked rocks. Sam gasped and her eyes widened. She could do the math in her head. Freddie's hero died, he was depressed, and he was on top of one of the park's most dangerous features.

"Freddie! I have to see him!"

"You're not going anywhere," Mrs. Briggs said. Her tone wasn't convincing enough, it was as though she figured Sam wasn't going to listen to her.

"No, I have to talk to him." Jake and Jonah raised their eyebrows, they weren't sure that they wanted her going to where Freddie was. Sam ran around the two and exited the classroom. She saw Carly walking toward her and stopping.

"Uh, what are you up to, Sam?" Carly asked while raising her eyebrow.

"No time." Sam passed Carly and ran toward the doors, not caring for the teachers that shouted at her to stop running. She thought more and more of the possibility of losing Freddie. She couldn't stand it, she couldn't lose him. Not so close to the anniversary of her father's death. Sam continued to run toward the park, ignoring the pain that was in her legs. _"Please, Freddie, don't jump. If you're planning on jumping, don't do it. I need you."_

Sam felt tears starting to escape her eyes, but this wasn't a moment where she could keep herself from putting up her tough exterior. She ran into the park and found the hill that led up to the bridge. At the top of the bridge, she could see a figure leaning against the railing, staring up into the sky. "FREDDIE!" Sam ran up the hill, never giving in to her exhaustion and never taking her eyes off of Freddie. _"I can't lose him; I can't lose someone else I love, not another one."_

She saw Freddie turn around; he didn't see her at all. Instead, he looked toward the water, as if longing for it. Sam stopped at the edge of the bridge and started trying to catch her breath. Her eyes softened when she saw Freddie fall to his knees and start to break down and cry. He didn't look too groomed, but then, he hadn't been home in over a day. Sam took a step toward Freddie, causing the bridge to shake. Upon feeling the shake, Freddie frantically grabbed the bridge, making sure he didn't fall. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Sam, surprisingly, she looked serene.

"S-Sam, what are you doing here?" Freddie asked while shaking slightly. "I don't want you to see me like this! Not like this, not in my weakened state." A small sob escaped Sam's throat and she wrapped her arms around Freddie's neck. He was now sitting with his legs crossed and Sam was on her knees, sobbing into his shoulder. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm crying because of you, Dork. Don't do that to me, us, don't scare us like this." Freddie paused for a moment and Sam slowly looked up and gazed into his eyes. "Jake's looking for you, Jonah's looking for you, your mom is worried. I saw the news reports, I know what happened…don't do this to your mom. Don't do this to your friends. Don't do this to me, please."

"My dad died, Sam. He was killed in the line of duty." Freddie shook with sorrow and Sam tightened her hold on him. "My father, he's not supposed to die, Sam. He's not supposed to die. He's always been best at what he does! Why does he have to die? He can't come back now. He always came back and he would always talk about his job. Now he'll never do that again…" Sam recognized those words, they were so similar to what she told Freddie years ago. At least now, they could cry together.

"Freddie, someone once told me a long time ago…he's not gone." Sam lifted her head and looked into Freddie's eyes. "He's always with you, in your heart. He's never going to leave you, as long as you remember him and keep him in your thoughts." Freddie continued to let his tears fall, despite not wanting to cry in front of Sam. "Freddie, you have to be strong for your mom. Think about it, she's going through a hard time too! Mr. Benson was her husband, she loved him, she's probably breaking down just worrying about losing you too."

"I-I wasn't going to jump. I can't jump; I'm too weak to do such a thing." Sam smiled and hugged Freddie closer.

"You're not weak because of it; you're strong because you _didn't_ jump. Think of all the people you just saved because of it. I mean, so many people who couldn't bear it if you did jump…like me."

"I'm sorry; I just don't know what to do. My father's gone, and for once…" Sam rested her head on Freddie's chest and closed her eyes, she felt fine as long as she knew he was with her. She felt Freddie wrap his arms around her waist and looked down at her. "Sam, what are you doing?"

"Freddie, don't cry. I don't like when you cry. I love you." Freddie paused for a minute and looked down at her, confused and shocked at what he heard. "I don't want you to cry. I don't want you to die, either."

"Sam…" Sam lifted her head and looked into Freddie's eyes.

"You've done so much for me over the years, Freddie. Maybe this time you can let me be the one to help you with your father's death. Did you forget that I lost my father in the line of duty, too?"

"Of course I didn't forget that, I never would!"

"Then, you could have called me up and told me when you heard your father passed away…"

"I'm sorry I worried you, Sam. I just thought…I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, my father…" Freddie shook once more and his grip around Sam tightened. She made a small grunt sound and Freddie quickly loosened his grip, hoping not to squeeze too much on her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to squeeze you."

"It's okay, it's not like I'm a twig or something." Sam smiled at Freddie and he let out a small chuckle. "Can I stop being tough for a while?"

"What do you mean?" Sam rested her head back on Freddie's chest and exhaled slowly.

"Seven years ago, when you told me to be tough, I took it seriously. I never let anything affect me on the outside…not even when you had that crush on Carly."

"What? You mean…"

"I had a crush on you early on; I guess it developed over time. It hurt to see you go on and on about Carly, because I knew she wouldn't ever care about you like I do…" Freddie lifted his hand up and ran his hand through Sam's hair.

"I know that much already, I don't have a crush on her. I don't 'love' her, either. Sam, you shouldn't hide your emotions from the world. I just don't like to see you cry, because it made me feel bad. I wanted to cry for you, but I just couldn't ever cry like you…I'm sorry."

"Well, maybe we can cry together. I mean, we both lost our fathers. We both can be there for our moms, right?"

"I don't know…"

"They all care about you, too. Jake, Jonah, Mrs. Benson, we all want you to be okay. Are you going to be okay? It's okay to cry…"

"Yeah Sam, I'll be fine." Freddie wiped a tear from his eye and gave a small sigh. "I must smell horrible, why would you even cling to me right now?"

"I don't care how you smell. I just want to be with you right now."

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this. I should be making jokes and helping you to make it through your father's passing, and here I am, crying like a baby."

"Don't be such a dork. My father died seven years ago. It's still hard, and I'll never get over it, but every year gets easier. Your dad just died, you can cry all you want. You deserve to cry over his loss. Can you just promise me one thing, if you ever reach breaking point again, can you call me? Don't scare your friends by running away and making it seem like you're going to hurt yourself."

"Did I really worry you that much?" Sam nodded and Freddie frowned. "I'm sorry…" Freddie gently brushed some hair from Sam's face and smiled at her. "I won't worry you again, or I'll try not to.'

"Thank you…so; do you want to go home now?" Freddie nodded and slowly stood up, taking Sam with him. They looked toward the end of the bridge and saw Jake and Jonah staring at them, behind them stood Mrs. Benson and Mrs. Puckett. Everyone looked extremely worried and fearful for Freddie.

"Freddie, are you going to be okay now?" Jake asked while giving his friend a look of concern.

"Carly went to her class work," Jonah stated as he crossed his arms. "She doesn't really know what's going on."

"I see," Freddie responded as he wrapped his arm around Sam's waist. "That's fine by me. I think I'll be okay for now." Jake and Jonah smiled at their friend and let out a sigh of relief.

"Well that's a good thing, you had us all worried." Freddie thought he saw some wet streaks on his friend's faces. He wondered if they had been crying over the thought of him dying, and he hated to have caused his friends such pain.

"I won't ever worry any of you like that again, I promise." Mrs. Benson stepped forward and then ran toward her son, taking him into her arms. She started to sob hysterically; it was something that Freddie wasn't used to. His mom, though overprotective at times, was always so calm and composed. "Mom, I'm sorry."

"We need to be strong for each other," Emily Benson stated. "It's what your father would have wanted, is for us to live happily and remember John for the good things." Freddie nodded and gave his mom a hug, comforting her as much as he could.

"Maybe we could all get some dinner," Sarah said from the edge of the bridge. Tears were streaking her face, just like the others. "We need some time to regain our composure, and we can all benefit by being together during this time. Wouldn't you agree?" Emily looked over at Sarah and nodded her head in agreement.

"It's best to be with friends during this time." Emily wiped her eyes and stepped next to Sarah. She turned around and everyone looked at Sam and Freddie.

"Hey, are you going to come?" Jake asked with a slightly cautious voice.

"I'd like a shower first," Freddie responded.

"Yeah dude, you can take your shower, then we can all go eat somewhere. Mrs. Puckett and Mrs. Benson were talking about the Cotton Patch Café down the street."

"That sounds good." Jake nodded and the group started to walk away. Sam and Freddie took one last look over the bridge, but this time, it was just to try and admire the beauty of the park. Freddie took Sam's hand in his and smiled. This action sent chills and the feeling of warmth throughout her body.

"Freddie, have I ever told you thanks for being there for me over the years?" Sam asked while gently resting her head on Freddie's shoulder.

"Yeah, but I think it's my turn to thank you." Sam looked at Freddie and he smiled as he gazed into her eyes. "It's hard to deal with this, and you were right here for me. You reminded me that just because Dad is gone, doesn't mean that there's no one left who cares about me or anyone to care for." Sam smiled and closed her eyes. She then felt a gentle feeling of lips pressing against her forehead, her eyes opened and she looked at Freddie. "Come on, let's go with the others." Sam nodded and the two left the bridge. They knew it would be hard to accept the loss of their fathers, but at least they had each other to help them make it through the days and years to come.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that story. I wanted to get it done earlier, but I wasn't able to. Either way, I think it came out nice, but what matters is what _you_ think.


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